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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Hilary Osborne

‘It paid for six months of sandwiches!’ 7 tips for buying the perfect gift voucher

Gift cards: beautiful thought or terrible burden?
Gift cards: beautiful thought or terrible burden? Composite: Guardian Design; Getty Images

When Stephen received an M&S voucher from his parents for Christmas, he did what many of us do: shoved it in his wallet and forgot about it. Months later, when buying a sandwich in the shop, he remembered he had it and handed it over.

“The cashier took it and, handing it back, said something like, ‘You still have £96-something on your card.’ I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “I continued to use it for incidental sandwiches for a further six months until it ran out. It’s the best Christmas present of my adult life – it just kept giving.”

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